The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which will hereinafter be denominated varietally as ‘GP-27’ peach tree, and, more particularly, to a peach tree which produces fruit, which are mature for commercial harvesting and shipment approximately August 23 to September 8 in the San Joaquin Valley of central California.
Commercially acceptable fruit is abundant in the case of many varieties of fruit trees. This is particularly true of peach trees. The plentiful quantities of such commercially acceptable fruit result in there being a substantial market for such fruit throughout most of a comparatively long growing season.
However, commercially acceptable fruit is relatively rare at the initiation and termination of the growing season. Most such early or late ripening peach varieties produce fruit which is only marginally acceptable on a commercial basis in that it is small in size, or possesses poor skin coloration, or lacks desirable flavor, or has poor handling characteristics, or any combination of these and other negative characteristics. Accordingly, new peach varieties producing fruit which ripens early or late in the season, but which possesses characteristics more typical of fruit ripening more nearly at the height of the growing season are of significant commerical value. The new variety of peach tree of the present invention appears to be such a variety, as will hereinafter be set forth in greater detail.